


Background Music

by submarinebunny



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, jongdae is chaotic good
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-09-13 10:50:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16891164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/submarinebunny/pseuds/submarinebunny
Summary: Junmyeon's love for girlgroup songs causes him to embarrass himself in front of a good-looking stranger.





	Background Music

Junmyeon was a man of routine. He’d wake up every morning at 7, take a shower, prepare his breakfast in his big, comfy burgundy robe, eat while reading the latest news on his tablet, get dressed for work, reply to the occasional good morning message, make sure he had everything packed into his briefcase and drive across town to get to the law firm he worked at. And every morning he did all that while listening to his very own playlist that contained the latest hits by groups like Red Velvet, Twice and f(x). To some people, it might seem a bit weird to see and hear a grown man jamming to girl group songs so early in the morning, but it gave Junmyeon the mood lift he needed to deal with hours and hours of paperwork and nightmare clients, so he never really paid any mind to the critics of his taste in music.

This particular morning, however, something changed. The minute he stopped at a red light, Power Up came on the speakers of his car, and he started dancing and singing out loud, too engrossed in the lyrics and the choreography to realize another car had stopped next to his.

 

\---

 

Chanyeol was not having a great day. First, he had slept through his alarm, waking up out of sheer luck and his roommate’s voice echoing through the apartment as he sang 80’s ballads during his shower. He had to forgo washing up, as he was already pretty late, and he also had to pass on eating breakfast, as he found out Jongdae had eaten the last bits of cereal they had. He then checked his phone only to see a bunch of messages from his co-workers - apparently, their client had decided to change their entire campaign in the middle of the night while also giving them a new deadline of two days for the final draft. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t even realize he had taken the wrong turn, not until he stopped at a red light and some generic pop song broke him out of his reverie. He looked to his right only to see another man, in a fitted suit, belting out to whatever song that was and doing some kind of wavy dance with his arm.

The sheer ridiculousness of it all made Chanyeol laugh so hard that he forgot about everything - his hunger, his client, his detour -, and he only stopped cackling once he looked over to the other car one more time and saw the man staring at him with the most unreadable expression ever. He then tried to conceal the fact that he was laughing at the man, but failed miserably at the task, which made the man roll his windows back up. As the light turned green and they both set off to their destinations, it dawned on Chanyeol that he had just laughed at a very, very beautiful face.

 

\---

 

Junmyeon arrived home that night to a phone call from his brother, Jongin. Apparently, the dog shelter they both volunteered at was having a fundraiser in a few weeks and they needed people to help organize the event.

“So you signed me up for it, but not yourself?”

“Hyung, you know I’ll be out of the country next week!”

“What about the week after that?”

“But then things should already be planned!”

“You could still help, Jongin!”

“I promise I’ll help you if you need me, hyung! Think of the puppies!”

“Ugh, you’re unbelievable!”

“Hyung! Please? I talked to Jongdae-hyung about it and he said he’d get some help too!”

“Is that supposed to be a pro?”

“You know Jongdae-hyung means well…”

“Fine, fine, I’ll do it, but only because someone has to handle our mess of a cousin.”

“Thanks, hyung! You’re the best!”

“Make sure to bring me some nice souvenirs!”

“I will! Bye, hyung!”

“Bye, Nini!”

 

\---

 

The minute Chanyeol walked through his apartment door and saw Jongdae sitting on the couch staring at him with a grin on his face, he knew something bad had happened. It was just a matter of time until the ceiling crashed, or the oven caught on fire, or the lady next door started banging on their door with some nonsense complaint.

“Hi, Yeollie! How was your day? Did you have fun? Are you hungry? We can order something to eat! Do you want chicken? Pizza? McDonal-”

“Hi, Dae. What happened?”

“So! Remember my cousin Jongin?”

“I think you might have mentioned him a few times…”

“Yeah, he’s great! We were talking and he told me about this dog shelter he volunteers at with his brother! Cute, right?”

“Right…”

“Right! So I told him my roommate loved animals, because you do, right?”

“Right…”

“Right! And he said they need volunteers for this fundraiser they’re planning!”

“Jongdae…”

“So I said I knew the perfect volunteer! You!”

“Jongdae!”

“What?”

“How can I possibly volunteer at this?”

“Don’t worry! They probably just need someone to put out flyers and stuff, it’ll be easy! Plus, Jongin said he’d get his brother to volunteer as well! You’ll be fine!”

“Dae…”

“Please, Yeollie! Think of the puppies! I know you love puppies!”

“I… Fine. But you owe me, big time!”

“Anything you want, Yeollie dear!”

“I’ll keep that in mind!”

 

\---

 

Unknown number [8:56 pm]

Hi! Is this Junmyeon?

 

You [8:58 pm]

Yes, and who is this?

 

Unknown number [8:58 pm]

I’m Chanyeol! Jongdae’s roommate!

He gave me your number because of the fundraiser

He said you’d know what to do?

 

You [9:01 pm]

That sounds like Jongdae.

Has he given you any details about the event?

 

Unknown number [9:01 pm]

No, he just gave me your number

 

You [9:02 pm]

Alright. So, we’re having a dinner party to raise donations for the shelter.

You and I are responsible for the decorations, the music and the menu.

 

Unknown number [9:03 pm]

Sounds doable

 

You [9:04 pm]

Would you be available for coffee this Saturday? I believe it would be better to discuss the details in person.

 

Unknown number [9:05 pm]

Coffee sounds great! Is 4 pm okay?

 

You [9:07 pm]

Sure. I know a great place next to your apartment, I’ll send you the address soon.

Also, can you please tell me your last name so I can save your contact?

 

Unknown number [9:09 pm]

I’m Park Chanyeol!

 

You [9:10 pm]

Thank you, Chanyeol.

I’ll see you on Saturday, then?

 

Park Chanyeol [9:12 pm]

See you!

 

\---

 

Junmyeon had arrived at the cafe earlier than expected, so he got himself a table and ordered a cup of coffee and a muffin. He had been praying that Park Chanyeol was actually an angel in disguise sent by the heavens to help him - the guy did live with Jongdae, after all, so he had to be some sort of saint. This meeting needed to go really well for things to run as smoothly as possible, as Junmyeon was busy enough with work already.

He was staring in the direction of the doorway when a tall man walked in. He looked rather familiar, but Junmyeon couldn’t exactly pinpoint why. He did, however, notice the man’s handsome features and his slightly nervous gaze scanning the people inside the café as if he was looking for someone. The man picked up his phone to call someone, and a few seconds later the entire store was listening to Twice’s Dance The Night Away as Junmyeon’s phone lit up with a call from Chanyeol.

 

\---

 

Chanyeol heard him before he saw him - or rather, heard his somewhat questionable ringtone choice before snapping his head in the direction of the sound, only to be met with the guy from the car a few days before. And as his eyes saw the man utter a shy “Hello?”, his ears heard a honey-like voice say the same word. He should have seen it coming - Jongdae was involved, so it was only a matter of time until some weird coincidence descended upon him.

He put on his best smile and walked towards Junmyeon, who seemed to be blushing quite a bit, understandably. If he was anything like his cousin, the whole project was doomed from the start, but Chanyeol tried to stay positive and give the man the benefit of the doubt.

 

\---

 

Chanyeol was surprisingly easy to work with. He was creative and his ideas were often grand, but he was also good at listening to whatever Junmyeon had to say and he didn’t seem to mind scaling down his visions every now and then. They made a good team, Junmyeon quickly found out, and it wasn’t long until they started acting less like business partners and more like genuine friends.

Maybe Junmyeon did see him as a little more than a friend, but how could he not? Chanyeol was kind, sweet, funny, smart, tall, handsome… He could go on and on, honestly, but as much as his feelings for the younger boy grew, he knew he had to keep it professional, at least until the fundraiser madness was over. Plus, Junmyeon still couldn’t shake the feeling that he had seen Chanyeol before somewhere, but he thought it was far too rude to ask him, so he had to keep quiet and rely on his memory alone.

 

\---

 

Planning the fundraiser was a lot of work, Chanyeol soon found out. There was a lot to do, and between his job, the event and the occasional Jongdae situation back at the apartment, he barely had time to breathe. Luckily, he had Junmyeon to help him out - sweet little Junmyeon, who made Chanyeol’s days better even with his dad jokes and terrible puns.

As the event date approached them, Chanyeol made up his mind: he was going to ask Junmyeon to be his date for the dinner party. He figured it was his only chance to woo the lawyer, as they probably wouldn’t keep in touch after the planning season was over. He wasn’t oblivious - he could see his feelings for the shorter man were reciprocated, if the blushing cheeks, the shy smiles and the staring eyes were anything to go by, but he feared he might come off too strong and ruin their blossoming friendship.

 

\---

 

A couple of days before the fundraiser, Chanyeol had asked Junmyeon to meet him at the same café they went the first time so they could settle some final details for the event. Junmyeon had just gotten out of a meeting across town, so he had to take a different route to get there, and he ended up stopping at the same red light he had embarrassed himself in front of a stranger that day. He was halfway through physically cringing when it dawned on him: it wasn’t a stranger after all.

He was mortified, to say the least. He didn’t even know how he was supposed to face Chanyeol after realizing it. What was he supposed to say? How was he supposed to act?

 

\---

 

The plan was perfect. Chanyeol had called beforehand asking if the piano on the lounge was available for customers to use, and after the confirmation from the manager, he knew it had to be done that way. Still, as he waited for Junmyeon to arrive, the butterflies in his stomach wouldn’t give him a break.

Suddenly, he saw his friend walking through the doors of the café, and after beckoning him over with a smile and taking a deep breath, he began playing.

 

 _“From some point, I started liking you_  
_You fool_  
_Why don’t you know my heart?_  
_When are you going to stop being so dumb_  
_And only treating me as a friend?_  
_‘Cause that’s not what I want_  
  
_Sending you a sign, sending a signal_  
_Electric electric electric electric_  
_I want you, I want you_  
_But why aren’t you reacting?_  
_Every time we meet, with all my heart_  
_Electric electric electric electric_  
_I’m waiting, you can see everything_  
_But why don’t you know?_  
  
_Trying to let you know_  
_Sending you a sign, sending a signal_  
_I must let you know_ _  
Sending you a sign, sending a signal”_

 

\---

 

“Junnie, come on!”

“I am not dancing with you, Yeollie! We’re the event planners, we’re supposed to look professional!”

“But you already know the choreography!”

“I thought we agreed to not mention that day ever again!”

“Come on! Pretty please?”

“Fine. But just because I’m the best boyfriend ever!”

“Now’s the best part, come on! BA BANANA BABA BANANANANABA!” 

**Author's Note:**

> dear prompter, i hope this is close to what you had in mind!  
> if everyone has made it this far, thank you for reading! please continue to give suyeol lots of love <3  
> feedback is highly appreciated ^_^
> 
> title from red velvet's power up, lyrics in the song from twice's signal


End file.
